Reborn From the Cosmos
Arc 8-54

Our late lunch is interrupted by Earl telling us that the Stars are ready to depart. We all move to the front to say our goodbyes. I prepare myself for an emotional sight but it’s just…warm. 

Allen and Yulia hug Alana, who enjoys one pair of arms and endures the other. Lancecain exchanges polite farewells while his gaze occasionally looks about. Is he wondering about Little Water? Sigh. What a missed opportunity. The foreign princess being courted by the charming knight and the shy son of a duke would have been a story of the ages but it isn’t meant to be. Despite attracting them, the estrazi has no interest in romance. She seems the practical sort that might entertain their attentions anyway, if they had enough to offer but they don’t. 

Oh, Lancecain is talented for a human and Khan has his own appeals, but, from the few conversations we’ve had, being talented isn’t enough. The estrazi are strong, to which I can only say is expected as a race basically created to serve dragons. The females that run their people only choose the best partners to have little lizards with and their best can do a lot more than take down a single titan or draw maps. The poor men don’t stand a chance.

Yulia ends the moment by giving genuine thanks and an invitation to come to the north before the next war. Then, they’re off, the strangely hairy horse-like creatures the north favors as mounts pulling the carriages along the road at a fraction of the pace that we could travel. 

If there’s a hint of melancholy in my knight’s expression, I do her the favor of not mentioning it. Things between Alana and her sister still aren’t great but they’ve come a long way. It gives me hope for the future. I want her to have all the happiness in the world, including the family that was denied to her. 

Once they’re off the estate, we return to the dining room. Alana joins Miss Alyssa in consuming the shroom juice, to which the redhead wholeheartedly approves; I guess everyone enjoys a drinking partner.

“Before you two get carried away, let me go over those house rules I mentioned,” I say with a smile as they toast one another. “They’re very simple. Rule number one; don’t engage with the succubi. Go ahead and ask them for anything you need but try not to get dragged into idle conversation. This is for your own good. It starts with a comment about the weather and the next thing you know, you’ve been dragged into committing treason.”

“Why do you keep the damn things around if they’re so dangerous?!” she rightly asks.

“Show me a person that can rival the strongest royal knight, can eradicate dust, cooks better than the chefs in the palace, is smarter than the Hall’s best scholar, and whose loyalty I can absolutely guarantee.”

“...they can do all that?”

I laugh. “They can do more. That’s just the bare minimum I’d accept to replace them. I don’t exactly enjoy the thought of them playing games behind my back.” I clear my throat. “But onto the next rule. Number two; do not look the elves in the eye. That’s just a humorous way of saying don’t challenge them. Don’t let them push you around. In fact, tell me if any of them make you uncomfortable in any way. What you absolutely, for the love of the saints, shouldn’t do, is challenge them. Especially don’t threaten them. Particularly the purple one. She will laugh and then she will destroy you.”

“Uh-huh.” Miss Alyssa side-eyes Kierra, who catches her and smiles with those canines that are a bit too sharp. “I’m guessing this purple elf is…”

“Related to my wife? Yeah, it’s her mother, Morgene Atainna. And she’s crazy. Please trust me on this.”

“Is she as strong as Kierra?”

My lovely savage sighs. “A true contest between us does not have a sure outcome only because of my gift and my knowledge of her skills. If you are asking who is the better fighter, then the answer is my mother. Indisputably.”

“She’s not just stronger than Kierra. She’s a famed fighter on a continent where everyone worships strength and spends centuries perfecting their skills.”

The redhead looks distinctly worried as she nods. “No pissing off the purple elf, got it.”

“Good. Onto rule number three; no going into the servants’ wing. That’s where we keep our detained guests.”

“Is that some polite way of saying prisoners?”

“...maybe.”

“Why the fuck are you keeping prisoners?” she growls while slamming her glass down.

I raise a hand. “Calm down. They’re not really prisoners. For reasons, they can’t be allowed to leave the estate but they aren’t treated badly. They’re not even confined to a single room.”

Miss Alyssa inhales deeply and lets the breath out slowly. “I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and listen but you need to explain this to me.”

“What are you going to do if you don’t like the answer?” Alana asks. From the way she’s slumped in her chair, I know she’s not worried about it.

“I’m going to tell people who can probably do something about it.”

“Not afraid that’s going to get you politely detained?”

Miss Alyssa scoffs. “You’ve got two mind readers and I’ve never been called subtle. I’m sure what I’m thinking is obvious. Besides, I’m not scared of this brat.”

Aw. That was a compliment right? She isn’t scared not because she doesn’t have good reason to be, but because she trusts that I won’t hurt her. That’s as close as I can imagine Miss Alyssa getting to complimenting me.

Alana simply nods and goes back to her shroom juice. The redhead turns back to me, eyes silently demanding her explanation.

“Two of my detained guests are the Teppin daughters.” What were their names? Eh. “They are in…protective custody, let’s say. I’m a little worried about two noblewomen of relatively little ability wandering the city in its current state. Their parents are doing a job for me. Part of the agreement is that I look after their children.”

“That requires holding them prisoner?”

“It does when one of them is in a questionable state of mind. The older sister is, hm, mentally fragile.”

“Something that has nothing to do with you, I suppose?”

“I’m sure I played a part but I’m hardly to blame.” Geneva’s the one that strangled her. “Either way, she has a tenuous grip on reality. I’m honestly concerned she’d hurt herself or another if left to her own devices. The younger sister stays by her sister's side to care for her. Aside from that, she’s about as threatening as a puppy. The runt of the litter at that. There are actual rebels running around Quest.”

“...I suppose that makes sense. As long as you aren’t lying.”

“You can go listen to the screaming yourself.”

“Why would she be screaming? Are you–”

“Hurting her? Don’t be ridiculous. From what I understand, she’s trying to mimic the mating call of abyss worms spawned in the depths of the sea that have roosted in one of the pirates I have staying with me.”

“...what?”

“Do you really want to know?”

Miss Alyssa sighs, I notice she does that a lot, puts down her glass, and grabs the bottle of shroom juice. That brings back memories. I remember her doing something similar after the qualifiers, while questioning us. Just like then, she takes a large swig of the bottle and waves for me to go ahead. One thing I will say, she doesn’t shirk from her troubles. I suppose that kind of steadfast mindset is a necessity when facing titans.

“Quick transition into rule three then; no fighting with the other guests, including the detained ones. Maxine Guiness came to visit and brought along some pirates. One of them, Reynela, interests me. Rather, said abyss worms that are living inside her do. They are both staying with me until I can figure that out.”

“Just to be clear, you’re helping her, right?”

“I’m trying to.”

“Is she cute or something?”

I chuckle. “She’s kind of monstrous and an absolute pain in the ass.”

Miss Alyssa’s answer to that is to take another pull from the bottle and shake her head. Alana is looking a little annoyed that the instructor is hogging the shroom juice but Earl is there to solve the problem before it fully comes to be by setting a tray with two more bottles on the table.

“Back to rule number two. The other detained guest is Khan James, Alana’s older brother. He was captured by enemy forces who stuck fingers in his mind and swirled it around a little. He’s our ward while we try to figure out the extent of the influence and if he’s a danger. Like the girl, I can’t guarantee he isn’t a threat to himself or others so it’s best if he stays put.”

Miss Alyssa stares at me. “Who the fuck is an enemy to Victory?”

“The north has plenty of enemies.”

“Saints’ shiny balls. We don’t have any enemies. Why would they bother? The north doesn’t have anything valuable besides iron and they readily trade it for fair prices. And they’re not a threat to anyone. They spit on the fact that nobles aren’t supposed to have a standing army but no one cares because they all kill themselves beyond the Peaks.”

Was really hoping she just ignored that part. “...do you really want to know?”

“Yes, dammit!”

I look toward Alana and get a shrug. Is this a secret? I suppose it’d be a problem if she went blabbing it to the wrong people, but she’s not the type. More importantly, her increasingly wide eyes as I explain my situation is fairly amusing. I’m so used to the craziness I forget that it’s not normal.

“The people behind the titans.”

She stares at me in silence that drags on.

And on.

And on, so long I begin to worry. I look at Kierra but she’s smiling as she watches the show. A glance at Talia shows her sipping a cup of tea I don’t remember being brought to her gracefully, a beautiful picture, wholly unconcerned with the conversation.

Finally, Miss Alyssa comes out of her daze…and drinks. She drinks a lot, gulping down the contents of the bottle.

“I think you’re going to be spending the night.” I thought I’d invite her to dinner but with that much shroom juice in her, I’m not sure if she’ll be able to stand in half an hour. Not a state I’d be comfortable dropping her anywhere in.

She snorts at the suggestion. “As long as you don’t find a reason to have me detained for my own good by morning.”

“Aren’t they going to miss you at the camp?”

She waves off my concern. “Lane can handle it. Besides, the Butterfly has taken over the camp. She and her shiny knights can take a bit of the responsibility too.” Her dark green eyes narrow. “More importantly, what do you mean there are people behind the titans?”